What specialties tend to hire the most new grads?

Katie71275 · Jul 8, 2012

I think it could go either way. I think that the positions that probably hire the most new grads tends to be Med-Surg as those tend to be the bigger units at hospitals(they aren't specialized units so you will find a good many patients here). As for getting a peds job out of school? Not impossible...A good way to get an "in" at the hospital is to become a nurse tech on the peds floor when you are able to(at my school, we have to complete our 2 medsurg rotations first.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Jul 8, 2012

welcome to an! the largest online nursing community.

new grads are having trouble finding jobs all across the country. all this talk of a nursing shortage is no longer applicable as the economy took care of it. the shortage will return but not for many years....some sources project it will be at least until 2020.

there are multiple applicants for every position and many hospitals have hiring freezes. it is however, highly variant and a willingness to re-locate will help.

has the nursing shortage disappeared?

it's that time of year again. graduating nursing students are preparing to take the nclex and are looking for their first jobs. this year, many are finding those first jobs in short supply.

reports are rampant of new graduates being unable to find open positions in their specialty of choice, and even more shockingly, many are finding it tough to find any openings at all.

these new rns entered school with the promise that nursing is a recession-proof career. they were told the nursing shortage would guarantee them employment whenever and wherever they wanted.

so what happened? has the nursing shortage—that we've heard about incessantly for years—suddenly gone away?

the short term answer is clearly yes, although in the long term, unfortunately, the shortage will still be there. the recession has brought a temporary reprieve to the shortage. nurses who were close to retirement have seen their 401(k) portfolios plummet and their potential retirement income decline. they are postponing retirement a few more years until the economy—and their portfolios—pick up.

many nurses have seen their spouses and partners lose their jobs and have increased their hours to make ends meet for their families. some who left the profession to care for children or for other reasons have rejoined the workforce for similar reasons.

in addition, many hospitals are not hiring. the recession brought hiring freezes to healthcare facilities across the country, and many are still in effect. help wanted ads for healthcare professionals dropped by 18,400 listings in july, even as the overall economy saw a modest increase of 139,200 in online job listings.

for the rest of the article http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/co...sappeared.html

nurses are talking about: jobs for new grads

the big lie?

without a doubt, the main source of frustration experienced by recently graduated and licensed but still unemployed nurses is what could be called "the big lie."in other words, the television commercials that encourage young people to become nurses -- and then abandon them for months (or years) without employment; and the educators who tell them that the associate's degree is perfectly adequate to guarantee employment, that they will have their pick of jobs when they graduate, and that there is plenty of time to get a bsn later on. who knows whether it is greed, ignorance, or wishful thinking that underlies the fairy tales told to nursing students about their future job prospects? whatever the motivation, the disillusionment of our new grads is palpable. the jobs they expected after all of their hard work just haven't materialized, and some grads are getting pretty desperate.

medscape: medscape access

for the rest of the article you need to register for medscape but it is free and is a great resource and source of information

be a nurse...if you can

not too long ago, the threat of a growing nursing shortage prompted thousands of prospective students to choose nursing as a career, and nursing schools rapidly filled to capacity. nursing was frequently referred to as a "recession-proof" career, and the outlook for finding a job after graduation was rosy.

experience and employment: the vicious cycle

now, the bloom, as they say, is off the rose. it seems that many of our new grads are stuck in that perennial dilemma: they can't get a job without experience, and they can't get experience without a job. this situation was not anticipated by thousands of nursing students who were told, often repeatedly, that a global nursing shortage practically guaranteed employment for them.

consider, for example, the situation faced by new graduates in california. a survey of hospitals by the california institute for nursing & health care found that as many as 40% of new graduates may not be able to find jobs in california hospitals, because only 65% of the state's potential employers were hiring new graduates and generally planned to hire fewer new graduates than in previous years. overwhelming numbers of new graduates submitted applications for the few available positions for new graduates. it wasn't that the hospitals weren't hiring at all, but that they wanted nurses with experience.

what happened to the jobs?

most experts blame the crumbling economy for ruining the job prospects of new graduate nurses around the country, but as usual these days, the truth is more complex.

uneven distribution. the demand for nurses was supposed to exceed the supply by the year 2010.the question of whether we truly have a nursing shortage right now is a fair one. the answer, it seems, is "it depends." apparently, it depends on where you live and where you are willing to work. neither the distribution or supply of nurses, or the demand, is uniform. some geographic (mostly rural) areas have a shortage of nurses, whereas some urban locations are witnessing an oversupply of nurses. new graduates seeking jobs in these regions will face a very competitive job market.

economic recession. the shrinking job pool is widely believed to be a consequence of the declining us economy. temporarily at least, economic pressures and job losses in all industries have induced thousands of experienced but aging nurses to forgo retirement and even increase their working hours to support their families.

medscape: medscape access again requires registration but it is free no strings...

i am not stepping on your dreams. "praemonitus praemunitus" forewarned is forearmed. don't let this deter from your dreams for in knowledge there is power. start networking now. volunteer, work as a cna. be the best nurse you can be.

i wish you the best on your nursing journey.:loveya:

Stephalump · Jul 8, 2012

You have a chance, especially if you do clincal rotations there. However, I would consider it to be "unlikely." I know recent grads who have been hired at their dream hospital in their dream speciality immediately. But I know FAR more people who have had to settle and work their way up.

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Jul 9, 2012

The specialty that hires the most new grads is likely Med-Surg. I don't know how the job market is in Florida so I can't speak to the pediatric jobs available there but I am a pediatric nurse and worked in a large Children's Hospital for nearly 5 years. I had no trouble securing my job upon graduation (2007) and, at the time, the hospital was hiring dozens of new grads every few months. My unit alone hired NINE new grads from July of 2007 to March of 2008. Then, the economy tanked in September of 2008 and the September 08 new grads were the last ones hired for several years. This past year was the first time they hired new grads since 2008 and they hired 6 (one was fired before the end of orientation)... but in that time they also lost ELEVEN experienced nurses. This hospital made it known that they were only hiring new grads because of the economy (they know new grads want to work for them, they can pay them **** and it takes a few years for them to realize they're being completed screwed working at this particular place) although even the amount they're willing to hire is not enough to make up for the turnover. And you can imagine that a floor that has a 25% turnover and fills less than half of their open positions but fills them all with new grads is not really the best place for a new grad to work.

If you know you want peds, there are a few things you can do to increase your odds of securing a job there. Make a good impression on your peds instructor- there aren't nearly as many peds nurses as there are adult nurses and your peds instructor will likely be able to refer you to some hiring manager somewhere; try to do your preceptorship in a pediatric hospital- you are much more likely to get hired on a unit that knows you and knows your work ethic; try to get a summer job working as a nurse's aide in a pediatric hospital; volunteer with children if you have the time- in college, I volunteered at many summer camps for kids with all different kinds of illnesses (cancer, organ transplants, epilepsy, HIV/AIDS) an I know that it helped me tremendously... because the managers saw that I was dedicated to children and that I had experience working with sick ones, even if it wasn't "nursing" experience per se.

Best of luck to you!

allnurses Guide · Jul 9, 2012

I would venture to say that Peds and the ED are the two most common places new grads want to work, unfortunately unless you have a good connection, they hire the fewest amounts of new grads. Network network network and be at the top of your class in both theory and practice to have a shot.

I do know some new grads that got Peds jobs at a rehab hospital right out of school by working there as a CNA, and some have stepped up to a CH now. I knew one ED new grad that was an exceptional nurse right out of school and had precepted in the same ED (hate to say it probably didn't hurt he was a guy, I would say half the RNs in that unit are male).

Good luck!

afterseason, ASN, RN · Jul 9, 2012

I wouldn't let talk about "no more nursing shortage" worry you -- you'll still be able to find a job. It can be hard to get a job in a specialty right off the bat, but it's not impossible. I have a friend who was able to start in a peds unit, and my cousin got into an L&D unit like she wanted within a few months of graduation. Volunteering and working at a hospital or in a unit you'd like to be at after graduation can help increase your odds, and do whatever you can now to make yourself stand out.

Good luck!

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Jul 9, 2012

specialties tend to hire nurses with some med-surg experience but the overall market remains tight/competitive. network a lot and early.

no nursing shortage at the present time

https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/no-nursing-shortage-752411.html

HRatACH · Jul 18, 2012

Hi BSamson,

We are proud to be your dream job! There are jobs in peds for new grads out there. I'm a firm believer that you'll eventually get what you prepare yourself for and work towards. The best advice I can give anyone in any situation, is to keep moving forward. It sounds you are doing just that.

We have a RN Residency program designed for new RN grads. It's a very competitive admission process, but the experience is very rewarding. You can find more info here: Pediatric RN Residency Program

Feel free to contact us directly for more info.

All the best in your new career,

Jennifer

newgradneu13 · May 20, 2013

I was invited down to the interview day at All Children's Hospital for the New Grad

RN

program but was hoping anyone had more information about the process? I am looking for more information on starting salary for New Grads at All Childrens? I was also hoping to hear from someone who has worked there and their experience. Thanks!

LifesAJourney · May 20, 2013

Some of my classmates and I got hired into the ER, Peds, ICU (NICU, CCU, CTICU, NEURO, etc) or Med/surg before graduation. A few of us already work in the hospital as techs/cnas which helps. However, we have a 5 week senior practicum to complete before graduation in the area of your choice. A lot of students get jobs where they did their practicum at.

Does your program have a dedicated practicum portion? If so, try to get the nicu or peds sites during dayshift. That way, the nurse manager can see you in action and how well you interact with you unit/floor. You have experience working with kids which is a bonus to bring up during interviews!

HRatACH · May 24, 2013

Hi newgradneu13,

Feel free to reach out to one of the recruiters about the process and your questions. We've tried to post as much information about the process on our webpage for the program and in the email invite. We have a RN Resident that posts blogs about her experiences on our website.